Urban Sustainability, Urban Morphology, and New Cities: On the Triadic Relationship in Two Western Grid Cities of a Quarter Million Inhabitants

This article examines sustainable urban morphological principles for new large cities, given that it may take decades for them to reach their target population and attain economic viability. Its novelty lies in the integration of these three fields of knowledge. It examines the grid model based on a comparative analysis of two new cities: Milton Keynes in the UK and Modi’in in Israel. The twenty years separating them embody a conceptual shift in urban development: from a modernist city to one that strives for premodern urban principles. Despite these divergent paradigms that pertain to the urban fabric, the comparison reveals significant similarities regarding state-level motivations, the grid’s advantages, the externalization of uses, and green qualities. The findings suggest that sustainable planning of new cities should incorporate three key components: (1) an initial infrastructure for human interaction through meeting points, not necessarily in commercial streets, despite their importance in established cities; (2) integrating urban elements to maximize connectivity, rather than planning each independently; and (3) adopting a green city concept, which provides not only ecological and psychological benefits but also planning flexibility, which is particularly crucial for new cities.